Open differential drives of the foregoing type are preferably used in the form of axle differentials in driving axles of motor vehicles with a low or medium performance. In other words, they are particularly suited for lightweight construction and easy assembly in respect of such a differential drive rather than high performance.
From U.S. Pat. No. 1,145,295, there is known an axle differential wherein sideshaft gears, on the outside, run on a multi-part differential carrier, with the sideshaft gears themselves being supported directly in the drive housing. The differential carrier comprises a disc member forming a crown gear, and a square shaft inserted into same. Two sliding sleeves are arranged on the square shaft. The differential gears have been inserted into broken-out portions in the differential carrier. The sideshaft gears are each supported in rolling contact bearings. The open differential can be adjusted by the sliding sleeves in such a way that one of the sideshaft gears is disconnected from the differential carrier and that the other one of the sideshaft gears is connected to the differential carrier in a rotationally fast way.
FR 2,114,558 proposes a differential drive wherein the side-shaft gears are supported on the outside on a differential carrier. The application discloses that the side-shaft gears can be produced so as to be integral with the outer joint parts of constant velocity universal joints. The differential carrier is supported in the differential housing by a crown gear which is integrally formed on to the differential carrier and which, in one piece, forms the inner bearing race of a rolling contact bearing, with the outer bearing race being inserted into the drive housing.